Picture illuminator



G. LOVEBERG.

PICTURE ILLUMINATOR. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20, I920.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

11$? I/vrg/vwoixz Qlorebegy i F2, a

. tered heretofore in back of the UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

rrc'runn ILLUMINATOR.

Application filed January 20, 1920. Serial No.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GODFREY Lovnnnnu, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los An'geles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Picture Illuminators, of which the following is a specification.

his invention relates to illuminating a paratus and has for, its object to-providb for improvements in means for illuminating pictures, and the invention consists of the construction, the combination and in details and arrangements of the parts an embodi-- ment of which invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described and claimed herein.

Figure 1 is a perspective of the device as shown arranged for the illumination of a picture.

Fig. 2 is an end view in elevation and partial section of the device and picture.

ig. 3 is a central, longitudinal, sectional view through the improved lamp.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective looking toward the reflector.

Considerable difficulty has been encoun; the effective illumination of pictures and particularly in the illumination of oil paintings for the reason that generally the illuminating devices commonly employed cast too strong a light or are so arranged as to cause a reflection of the illuminating rays and thus materially decreasing in the proper display of the picture, and again difliculty is had because of the illuminating source or bulbs are so sitioned as to be visible to the eye of the 0 server.

' To overcome these defects of illumination I have devised a lamp that has been very efiiciently used in the illumination of various types of works of art consisting of oil paintings, and I have found that a preferred construction consists of a substantially cylindrical housing 2 the length of which is determined by the length of the picture to be illuminated, and one-side of this housing is provided with a longitudinal mouth forme between longitudinally extending upper and lower lips or flanges 3 and 4 respectively. The ends of the casing are closed by end walls 5 that have an area that is co-extensive with the transverse area of the cylinder and mouth.

Concentrically arranged Within the e under is a double socket 6 to receive illuminat- Specification of Letters Patent.

. ing bulbs 7-7 that I have found that is opposite to the Patented Mar. '7, 1922.

preferably to be't'rosted although clear bulbs may be used. The bulbs are arranged longitudinally substantially in the axis of the cylinder 2, and the socket 6 has its rear threaded extension 6 extended through an aperture therefor at the'back of the casing and engaged by a nut 8, and the lamp cords from the socket 6 extend out through the connection 6 and rearwardly through apertures made in a. longitudinally extending channel piece 9 laid along the side of the casing 2 mouth of the casing.

The channel strip 9 is secured in place as by screws 10 which pass through apertures 11 provided therefor in the casing or cylinder 2, and on the inner ends of the screws 10 are nuts 12 which serve to hold in place a. concavo-convex longitudinally extending reflector 13 that is pressed back on washers 14 mounted on the screws'lO and one of which is arranged on the socket extension 6 so that the reflector 13 is held in spaced position in front of the adjacent surface of the casing 2 'so as to form an air space to prevent undue heating of the parts when the lamps are energized.

The lamp casing or cylinder 2 is supported in a predetermined position in front of the picture P to be illuminated by bracket arms 16 that may be screwed as at 17 or otherwise secured to the back of the picture or other convenient part. The arms 16 are shown as of flat material having, their forward portions bent at 16 to form end bearings applicable flatwise against the ends 5 of the cylinder 2 and to which they ma be secured in a position co-axial of the cy inder as by bolts 18 on which the casing 2 can be oscillated so as to secure the accurate distribution of the li ht issuing from the lamp and play upon t e picture.

I have found that the best lighting efficiency is secured if the lamp be mounted and adjusted in a position slightly above a'nd well to the front of the top of the picture, as shown in Fig. 2, lip 8 is positioned so as to permit the light rays to pass from the illuminator just across the upper horizontal edge of the picture frame. Li 3 is formed so that it occupies a plane hat is tangent to a circle concentric with the center of the cylinder, which circle is indicated by dotted line a in Fig. 4. Lip 4: that forms the lower edge of the mouth 5 would be arranged at an angle to the lip 3 so that the plane of said lip 4 is tangent to a circle that is concentric with the axis of the cylinder-and said circle being somewhat smaller than the circle a as indicated. By thus arranging the mouth lips 3 and 4 the rays of light are caused and permitted to pass to the area of the picture to be illuminated in a most effective manner. Preferably the inner faces of the lips 3 and 4 are provided with nonrefleeting surfaces so that the reflection of' light caused by the surfaces is therefore overcome and only light as controlled by the mouth opening is thrown on to th'epicture.

To facilitate the distribution and range of light upon the picture the reflector 13 is shown as having the apertures 11 elongateddeparting from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is: 1. An illuminating device for pictures, comprising an elongated cylindrical Easing with electric bulbs supported therein; a circumferentially adjustable reflecting surface extending along the inner rear portion of the casing and spaced therefrom, nd saidcasing having a longitudinal mou h with outwardly projecting lips that occupy different angular planes with respect to eachother and with respect to the axis of said caslng.

2. An illuminating device for pictures,

comprising an elongated cylindrical casing with electric bulbs supportedtherein; a cir-- cumferentially adjustable reflecting surface extending along the inner rearporti'on of the casing, the casing havingfa longitudinal mouth wlth outwardly pro]e' c'ting lips that occup different angular planes with respect to eac other and with respect to the axis of the casing; and means supporting the casing in a position above and in front of the top of the picture with the upper lip occupying a plane passing justabove the upper part of the picture frame and the lower lip" occupying a plane passing just below the lower part of the frame. I

3. An illuminating device for pictures comprising an elongated cylindrical casing with electric b'ulbs supported therein; a concave reflecting surface extending along the inner rear portion of the casing'and spaced therefrom, the casing having a longitudinal mouth with' relatively flared lips, and said reflector being slotted transversely to provide for its circumferential adjustment in the casing. f

4. An illuminating device for pictures, comprising an elongated casing with electric bulbs supported therein; a reflecting surface extending along the inner rea'r portion of the casing and being mounted thereupon for surface being spaced apart fromthe wall of the casmg to form an air circulating space,

- the casing having a longitudinal mouth with name to this specification.

G. LOVEBERG.

circumferential adjustment, said reflecting 

